Stripped
by elusiV-Polkadots
Summary: Working as a grounds keeper at a posh lakeside resort, Jacob is used to being unseen by the elite. But when Jasper arrives, Jacob is now an object of interest and soon discovers he has the power to strip him of all pretenses. Will their hearts survive?


**A/N: ** And here's where it all began. The original version of Stripped (with some minor edits). Now, PolkaDotMama and I, elusiVjacob, will be doing a blind round robin to continue the story. Where's it going? Even we don't know. But what we_ can _say, is that it will be a fun adventure, even if it absolutely terrifies PolkaDotMama and goes against her "planning" ways. ) And without further adieu...

*A quick note: For BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), Jacob's messages will be preceded by a ~ while Jasper's have a **.

* * *

**Stripped**

_Jacob's POV_

The dull roar of the lawn tractor droned through the earplugs as I made the familiar laps around the courtyard while the summer sun hung high in the sky and beads of sweat rolled off the exposed portions of my skin. After the last lap was complete and the overlapping lines in the fresh cut grass were perfect, I stopped for a moment to take a drink and wipe the ever-mounting perspiration from my face. For the past few days, Sam had been piling on the tasks for me to complete. The resort at the lake was quickly filling with its summer inhabitants and the grounds had to look perfect for our guests. The lodge was bustling with high-powered businessmen, pampered housewives, and spoiled children visiting the lake for the summer, pretending to spend quality time with each other. Parking spaces were filled with shiny, expensive, new cars. I placed my water bottle back in its holder and put the tractor in gear. On the way back to the maintenance shed, I passed a particularly expensive looking Mercedes turning into the parking lot of the lodge. The expansive chrome features and sleek black lines of the car screamed money. All of the windows were deeply tinted and I couldn't make out the driver or any of its passengers. No matter, the inhabitants were most likely the stereotypical guests and wouldn't give someone like me a second look.

I pulled into the maintenance shed and cut the engine of the tractor. From the hours of sitting and riding, the muscles in my legs were stiff and desperately needed a stretch, since most things just weren't made for people who were 6'7", such as myself. With the roar of the engine gone, I removed the earplugs and took in the sounds of the wind rustling through the trees nearby, coupled with the faint voices of elated guests that carried in the summer air. I pulled my BlackBerry from my pocket to check the remaining items on my to-do list. Sam, the head groundskeeper, was experimenting with the use of the calendar and task feature as a way of keeping us all busy and tracking the work being done. Honestly, if my BlackBerry didn't remind me of what to do, I wouldn't do anything. In my simple life on the reservation, my BlackBerry was the only extravagance I allowed myself. Everything about my life was stored on the small electronic device and it was my main means of communication with the outside world. I scrolled down and checked off the tasks I had completed, noticing there wasn't much left on the list, and hustled back out onto the grounds armed with shears.

The sun sank below the horizon as I sat on my small bed and lazily gazed out the window. I could see Sam and Emily sitting out in the yard with each other, enjoying the beautiful sunset. My heart jerked as I watched Sam's lips lovingly caress Emily's. I could still remember the last time that I had kissed someone with such passion. The memory of that dreadful day was burned into my mind. Every so often when I witnessed companionship between others, it reared its ugly head to haunt me. The pain it caused was tremendous and I shuddered to put it out of my mind quickly, as it had been my one and only kiss from another man. When he moved away after high school, he took a piece of my heart with him.

Unable to stem the flow of the memory, my senses flooded with the pungent smell of rain and the recollection of that fretful night overtook me. It was the night before he was set to leave and the storm outside was releasing its torment on the world; the situation was releasing its torment on my heart as well. I spent most of that night locked away in my room, crying silently to myself. With all the suppressed rage I felt for him, I still couldn't bring myself to truly be mad at him. He had gotten into Ithaca University in New York and was actually getting off of the reservation. As much as I wanted to yell and scream at him, I could only do those things to myself. As I sat on the bed and my body was racked with sobs, I heard something strike the window; once, twice, three times. I moved from the bed to investigate and discovered him standing in the yard tossing small stones at my window. After staring out at him for several minutes I lifted the window and dropped down to the soft earth below. The torrential showers quickly masked the tears strewn across my face as I closed the distance between us and stopped just inches from him.

The sounds of the rain hitting the broad leaves of the trees and the subsequent fall to the earth was drowned out by the beating of my heart. He reached one hand to caress the side of my face. I lifted my eyes from the ground to meet his, and they were dark and tight with a sadness that mirrored my own. In what felt like extreme slow motion, his lips guided towards mine and I felt the soft skin graze my own. The kiss was full of unspoken emotions and passion. As our lips locked, the world around us seemed to slow. All the memories of the previous years since childhood flooded my mind: the trips out on the lake to go fishing, the rough housing, the sleepovers, the days where we laid in the grass and watched the clouds roll by. Then, in an instant, our lips broke, the memories faded and he turned and ran into the woods, leaving me heartbroken and standing in the rain.

The memory in my mind faded as I turned my head from the window to escape the scene unfolding in the back yard. The screen door slammed shut and I heard the small television in the living room blare to life. It could only be one person: Seth. He and I were basically the only ones that would watch television. I walked out into the living room and sure enough, Seth was draped across the ragged chair-and-a-half, already falling asleep. Suddenly, watching his eyes flutter, the approaching idea of a power nap couldn't get any better. I launched myself into the worn out recliner and extended as much as I could. Within minutes, my eyes were heavy and the sweet scent of slumber enveloped me.

When I opened my eyes, Seth was still sprawled across the chair and a small line of drool hung out the side of his mouth as he continued in his peaceful slumber. The sun had fully set beyond the horizon and the air was filled with the sounds of the night. Moving from the recliner, I approached the screen door and looked out on to the yard, now bathed in moonlight. The glow washed over the normally vibrant colors of summer, paling their features. It was a beautiful night and a stroll along the grounds was in order. What good did it do to work so hard at keeping them beautiful if I never took a moment to enjoy them? I pushed on the screen door and listened as the springs groaned with the load, releasing the door and allowing it to smack against the jam as it closed. Seth let out a gargled snort as he was roused from his nap by the abrupt sound. Chuckling lightly to myself, I descended the few porch stairs and headed towards the grounds surrounding the lodge.

The bugs of the night orchestrated their symphony from cloaked stages in the shadows. As I crossed the grounds, the rich smell of fresh earth assaulted my senses. My chosen path brought me along the shore of the lake. The breeze in the air caused white caps over the water and subsequent lapping sounded as they broke on the shore. A few strands of my long hair whipped around my face and I was reminded it was times like these where I was glad that I hadn't left the reservation. Looking out over the water, I could make out the lights of the lodge and the trust fund brigade mingling on the back porch. Soft notes of live jazz carried out across the lake. The smooth rhythm of the double bass and saxophone were nothing like the hard drums and rustic flute from the tribal dances of the reservation. An electronic chirp sounded in the distance and I instantly recognized the sound of a BlackBerry. Mine emitted the same one when I received a BlackBerry Messenger alert. Sadly, Seth, Embry and Quill were my only contacts as Sam had yet to figure out this feature.

After a few moments, I listened as the alert sounded again and again in the distance. Curiosity finally won the battle and I started to move toward the sound. The chirps became more frequent as the conversation picked up pace and I found myself increasing the tempo of my strides. The alerts came from a small dock jutting out into the lake that was used mainly for swimming by the guests and by me as a loading zone for going fishing on my days off. As I neared the dock, I lightened my steps to help avoid detection. There, out in the middle of the narrow dock, one lone figure sat huddled over, engrossed in the BlackBerry. I could see the soft glow of the screen spilling out around his body. The moonlight stretched across the wooden planks and washed over the figure in the middle, glinting off the golden curls that swayed slightly in the breeze.

I felt the muscles in my jaw tighten and relax as I took in more details of the man on the dock. The small white t-shirt stretched tightly over the defined and lean muscles in his back, clinging to the ridges. His elbows were propped on his knees as he sat and concentrated on his BlackBerry Messenger conversation. This position displayed his defined triceps that were left exposed by the dinky t-shirt. I bit my bottom lip thinking about all that I couldn't see and how defined they might all be, but here and now they all angled down, drawing my eyes to his waist. His shirt ended before his pants began and I felt a small stirring in my own pants as I thought about what kind of underwear might be visible if I could get a little closer. The wind piqued slightly and a faint trace of citrus and man that could only be him met my senses causing saliva to pool in my mouth. Standing here, watching and smelling him, was absolute torture and yet I did nothing to relieve it. I remained frozen in place as the wind continued to bring fresh drafts of his scent to me. I continued to stare at the small gap between his shirt and pants, hoping without hope that I would be able to take a peek at what lay beneath.

His BlackBerry chirped a few more times and each time it sounded I took another step forward, hoping that the sounds of my footsteps were being drowned out. After three more large strides towards him I could see the top of the band of his underwear; they were red. Instantly, my mind shifted to images of red underwear being modeled on topdrawers(dot)com. This man had no idea the images I was conjuring of him in my mind and, just then, my BlackBerry sounded from the pocket of my pants. I had completely forgotten it was there and the slightly long and drawn out chime signaling a new email blared loudly in my ears, publicly announcing my presence. My heartbeat was now racing and I watched as the golden locks shook and the man turned to face me.

In the wash of moonlight over the dock, the man's light blue eyes discovered mine and I found myself unable to breathe as his piercing stare now held me in place. The blue was the lightest I had ever seen. The inhabitants of the reservation, including myself, had dark eyes and it was a breath of fresh air to see something different. I didn't know why this man was affecting me so much, why I had put all this effort into coming out on the dock to catch a look at him. There wasn't much of a chance that he was gay and if he was, he was surely taken _and_ I wasn't even worth a second look to him. After years of working at the lodge, you got used to the types of people who came here and the way they treated the grounds staff. However, the look in his eyes didn't betray him to the prejudices I was laying on him.

"Hi." The word was almost a whisper as it fell from his full and colorful lips.

I just stood there, staring at him. My mind was incapable of forming words for a multitude of seconds as he continued to look me in the eyes. If he wanted a response from me, he was going to have to release me from his hold. My silent request was graciously answered as his BlackBerry gave a chirp. It took a few seconds for him to liberate me from my unseen prison by briefly looking down at the unread message. As soon as his eyes left mine, I let out a quick breath. The reprieve from his stare lasted only seconds. He simply did enough with the message to stop the red light of doom, as I so affectionately referred to it as. Once again, his blue eyes found mine.

"Let's try this once again, shall we? Hi."

I took in one long breath as I willed my brain to find the words to speak to this man. Finally, after just a few seconds of internal battery, I replied.

"Hello." The voice that came from my throat was foreign.

"Much better." He swung his legs around so that he was now facing me and didn't have to turn his head to see me.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans like some shy schoolgirl standing in front a cute boy who was trying to talk to her.

"So what brings you out here this evening besides sneaking up on unsuspecting guests?" A small smile crept onto his face at the corners of his lips.

He seemed friendly enough, and was obviously not too taken aback by my unknown presence.

"I'm one of the groundskeepers here at the lodge."

"Well, that's got to be far more exciting than the luncheons, family game time, and group dance lessons."

I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic when he looked away from me to glance out over the lake.

His voice was softer and lower as he continued to talk, "I mean, you get to be outside all day, enjoying the sunshine. You don't have oppressive parents shoving their aristocratic bullshit down your throat. You don't have to make sure you don't say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Heaven forbid you actually be yourself around these people. No. You get to actually enjoy the summer for what it is; a time to be yourself, and be happy."

I felt my tension ease slightly at this proclamation. All the prejudices I had placed on him before vanished as he denounced the life he was forced to live. As he continued talking, it was becoming easier for me to form words.

"The summers _are_ great around here. Though I wouldn't really know what a summer is like anywhere else. I haven't ventured too far from the lodge or the reservation," I admitted.

"So you live on the reservation too, then?" he mused as his eyes shifted from the water and back to me.

"Yeah, I don't think my family is ever going to leave the reservation." I dropped my eyes from his to stare at the pale wooden planks of the dock.

"Ha. Maybe one day I'll find somewhere where I can truly call home and not for just portions of the year."

I saw the red light of his BlackBerry, followed by a different sound than the one it was producing earlier. He brought the device up and clicked the trackball. A quick glance told me it wasn't something that he wanted to read.

"Drats. Looks like I've been discovered. I'm surprised it took them this long to figure out that I was gone."

At this proclamation, he slid his BlackBerry into his khaki pants and stood from his seated position, grabbing the shirt that I hadn't noticed lying next to him. I felt my jaw drop slightly as he stood up in front of me. He was only a few inches shorter than I was, which was saying something. The long, lean muscles that I had seen as a theme in his back continued to what I was seeing now. The t-shirt clung to all the lines and ridges of his pronounced chest and abdominal muscles. I watched his lithe torso stretch and flex as he pulled on his button-up shirt. As it fell over his arms, a small expanse of bare skin became exposed for the briefest of seconds. It was long enough for my brain to take notice and send a stirring to my pants. His long fingers flexed as they went through the motions to secure the buttons.

"Well, I guess I had better head back to the lodge before they send a search party for me. Enjoy the rest of your night, maybe I'll see you around sometime." He smiled again, a little wider this time, exposing a row of pearly white teeth. It was a kind smile, one that came from within and wasn't forced or fake.

After the initial shock of seeing his perfect smile, I managed to find a few words to conclude our encounter. "I'll definitely be around."

He maintained his smile and stepped around me to get off the dock. As he passed, I caught the hint of citrus and man, just as before. I watched as he walked back towards the lodge. His well-proportioned ass filled his khakis and rocked seductively with his confident gate. I wondered if he knew the effect he had on men and women with his perfect blue eyes, beautiful body, and gleaming smile. I shuddered at the thought of him actually trying to seduce me; I would turn to mush in no time. I watched until I could no longer make out his form in the distance before I turned and headed back towards the house.

As I lay in bed that night, all I could see was the man's face in my thoughts. Pale blue eyes and golden locks of curly hair were all I could think about and when that beautiful smile played on his lips, my entire body ached to know what they tasted like. The small band of red I saw beneath his shirt was vibrant in my little fantasy. It called out to me, for me to uncover the hidden remains of the buried treasure that lie within. Pressure started building under the sheets as I recalled more details from our encounter. The little white undershirt he wore didn't leave much to my apparently overactive imagination. The translucent material had allowed the paleness of his skin to radiate through and I could make out the slightly darker circles that marked his nipples. At this thought, more saliva pooled in my mouth as I thought about my wet tongue tracing circles around those nipples and feeling them harden between my lips. Pressure from the sheets mounted as more of my blood flow became redirected with the thoughts that were passing through my mind. I followed the deep lines of his muscles with my eyes as they rippled down his torso and formed the ever-so-sexy V line, just visible below his low-slung khakis. As my eyes traveled down his body, my hand traveled down mine. My heart rate piqued and my breaths came in shallow gasps as my hand ghosted over my sensitive flesh. My last coherent memory failed me and a long moan escaped my lips as I watched his glorious backside disappear into the night.

The next week passed without much incident and the guests at the lodge were now in full swing with their summer activities. People lazed about on the grounds and rented dinghies and paddleboats, made their appearance out over the lake. I kept an eye out during my duties for the man who had been at the dock that night. My sunglasses were mirrored so I could check everyone out without them being any the wiser, but I hadn't seen him since that night. My Friday afternoon was spent in the maintenance shed cleaning and straightening the equipment. I had been stretched out on the floor with my head under the tractor for a few minutes when I heard footsteps approach the shed. Figuring it was either Seth or Sam, I didn't glance towards the sound and kept on with what I was doing.

"So, you said that you were definitely going to be around and yet...I haven't seen you."

My body froze and my heart skipped a beat and I recognized the voice as that of the man on the dock. I took a few deep breaths and slowly slid out from under the tractor. In the process, my shirt shifted up, exposing my abdomen and his eyes drifted down to the bare skin as I continued to ease myself out.

"Well, maybe you just haven't been looking in the right places."

Lifting myself from the ground, I dusted off my jeans and pulled my shirt over my stomach. When my skin was no longer visible, his mesmerizing pale blue eyes lifted to meet mine, and my breath caught as I felt myself falling into their expanse.

"Well, you're very good at hide-and-seek, but I don't want to play anymore."

My guest turned and hopped up on the counter as I adjusted the band that was holding my hair back.

"So, do you hang out with the guests at the lodge much?" he inquired.

In my opinion, that was a pretty loaded question, one that he might not be comfortable hearing the answer to, but I couldn't just avoid it altogether.

"No, I usually don't hang out with the guests and, most of the time, the guests don't want to hang out with the grounds staff."

That was as close to the truth as he was getting at the moment.

"And why wouldn't they want to hang out with a dark and sexy man such as yourself?"

The features of my face dropped as I heard the words "dark" and "sexy" being used to describe myself from another man. That smile had split his lips once again and I felt my knees go weak. There wasn't anything that I could do; hearing those words come from his mouth decimated all of my thought patterns. I watched as the lines in his face deepened with his smile. He was enjoying watching the effect he had over me and it infuriated me that I was allowing it to happen. After a few more seconds, my thoughts returned to me and I was able to come up with a response to his accusation.

"Because, for the most part, I'm invisible to them."

"I guess you could construe it like that because I've been _looking _for you and had to eventually come stalk you in your office to find you," he retorted.

"And why is it that you've been looking for me, might I ask?"

"Did you think that you were going to be able to avoid me all summer? I mean, you eye fucked me the other night and now I have to resort to stalking you to see you again. Kind of makes me feel like a two dollar trick hunting down a john for payment so that my pimp doesn't beat me."

I let out a snicker with his last statement. At least he had a sense of humor. I smiled largely and tried unsuccessfully not to look into his eyes. When our eyes locked for the second time during this encounter, they were filled with something different than what they had been before. It was almost the look a predator would give its prey right before it attacked and if this man was doing the attacking, I stood no chance. He blinked a few times, hopped off the counter and came to stand just inches from me, never breaking eye contact.

"Well, now that I've collected my payment, I can continue my life without the fear of a beating."

As he spoke these words, I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. He drew one long finger from my stomach up to my chest and the thin purple t-shirt I wore didn't offer much resistance or protection from his seductive touch. I felt my nipples, among other things, harden as my body processed his slight touch. He pulled his finger back and moved to exit the shed, stopping just short of the large door and turned back to me.

"My name's Jasper, by the way."

He smiled once again and walked out onto the grounds, heading in the direction of the lodge. The sensation of his touch still radiated on my skin along the trail his finger had taken. This encounter would definitely give me material for a more detailed fantasy to be played out in my mind later. However, the sudden chirp of my BlackBerry brought me back to my senses and I pulled it from my front pocket while adjusting myself after the brief rendezvous with my guest.

Over the next few days I decided to spend my time in the flowerbeds scattered across the grounds. If he wanted to find me now, he wouldn't have to look very hard. Around noon one day, I decided to take a little break and do some people watching around the lodge. I sat in the cool grass under the shade of a huge water oak tree and watched, behind the protection of my sunglasses, as the guests interacted with each other. I watched as the men and women strolled along the lake holding hands and a few of the men had taken up a game of badminton to put on a show for the ladies. A long and exalted string of notes issued forth from my pocket, signaling an email. It ended up being one of those spam porn emails with nothing but a poorly written ad to come watch young boys masturbate on web cam.

Morose from the temptation and let down by the subject of the email, I tossed the BlackBerry in the grass next to me, and lay down. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the sensations of the warm summer day to flood my system. My thoughts automatically turned towards Jasper and our meeting a few days before. His light blue eyes and blond curls glowed in the dim setting of the maintenance shed and his soft skin was showing signs of tanning from being out in the summer sun on the lake. During this encounter, he had been wearing casual shorts and yet another tight t-shirt. I watched as his legs and feet dangled from the counter and he slapped his leather flip-flops against the bottom of his feet. He wore a slender, leather ankle bracelet that contained a few interwoven beads. It was nice to see that the guests did have casual attire and weren't always in polo shirts and khakis.

I took another deep breath and paused. That familiar citrusy scent was thick in the air and a smile crept across my face.

"You know...it's not very nice to sneak up on unsuspecting victims." I kept my eyes closed as I spoke to out loud.

"But the unsuspecting ones are the best," came a quick retort from my visitor. "They actually stick around for a bit because they're blissfully unaware."

I chuckled lightly under my breath at his absurd statement.

"Yes, because I'm sure you send all the guys running." My voice was thick with sarcasm.

"I've gotten a few cards in the mail thanking me for helping them win medals and shit."

There wasn't anything I could do after his last comment but let a loud and drawn out laugh erupt from my chest.

"It's not very nice to laugh at the misfortunes of others, you know." I could hear the smile on his face through his words.

I propped myself up on my elbows and lowered my glasses so that I could see him properly. He wasn't going to best me that easily.

"The day that I find boys running from you will be the day I strip off all my clothes and go skinny dipping in the lake." I almost regretted saying the words even before they were completely out of my mouth.

"Now that, my friend...sounds like a bet to me." He lowered his eyes to match the position of mine as they peered out over the rim of the sunglasses.

"I'm a man of my word."

"Let's hope so." Confidence painted itself over his face and he rose from the grass.

A few yards from us, a young man sat reading on a bench. Jasper coolly took up residence and pretended to be observing the people around him. Slowly, Jasper leaned into him and whispered into his ear. The man wore a disgusted look on his face as he got up from the bench and swiftly retreated towards the lodge. Jasper dug something that resembled a phone out of his pocket and I could barely make out the swift movements of his long fingers. Only seconds later, my BlackBerry gave a ding from the grass next to me. I picked it up and surprisingly the message was from Jasper. He must have stored his information in my phone while I had my eyes closed. I clicked the trackball to read the message.

_**Looks like we have plans later. Don't even think about chickening out. I will find you. :) See you around._

By the time I looked up from my phone, Jasper was gone from the bench and was nowhere to be found.

That night I lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling as thoughts of Jasper danced through my mind. The scene from earlier today just kept playing over and over again like a broken movie reel. My feelings for him were growing stronger with each of our encounters and it only made the time between them seem infinitely longer. I had sent a few messages to him throughout the day and none were returned even though they were marked by the traitorous read symbol. When I got home, I had thought about turning the damn thing off, but couldn't force myself to hold the power button long enough to see the infamous splash screen. I watched my phone light up on the bedside table followed by the curt sound of BlackBerry Messenger. My heart swelled with the possibility that it was Jasper sending me the message, but I quickly squashed the emotion before I reached out and grabbed the phone. The squashed feeling did not hold long as I read the message from Jasper.

_**I do believe that you have an end of a bargain to hold up_.

I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I didn't want to seem so eager to fulfill my obligation.

_~I haven't the foggiest what you're talking about_.

A smile played across my lips as I watched his status change to let me know he was typing a response.

_**Don't play coy, you know exactly what I'm talking about and I fully intend on making you perform. If need be, I can call my father's attorney and petition for specific performance. Verbal contracts are enforceable in this state you know_.

_~Haha, no need to drag your lawyers into this. However, the idea of being forced to strip off all my clothes adds a certain layer to the act that I think I might enjoy :)_

_**Naughty. Meet me down at the dock in 10 minutes?_

My heart swelled to the point that I thought it was going to explode.

_~I'll be there._

The summer breeze was warm as it rustled my hair on the way over to the dock. I didn't even bother putting a shirt or shoes on for this encounter. If he intended on me upholding my part of the bargain, there was no point. It was around 2:30 am and there wasn't a soul in sight as I crossed the grounds to the dock. This, of course, was a good thing. I was the first one to reach the dock so I walked out to the end and sat down, dangling my legs in the water. The first few inches were still warm from the exposure to the sun but as my feet sank further in, the water began to cool. After just a few minutes, I heard the padded sound of feet on the wooden planks. My heartbeat stuttered and then piqued as I felt the vibrations from the steps nearing. I continued to look out over the lake as a figure lowered itself to a seated position. My breath caught as the smooth skin of my visitor brushed against my own. It had been so long since I felt someone else's touch, but I had not forgotten the sensation it caused. I didn't need to look at the figure to know it was Jasper; his citrus bouquet gave him away.

"A beautiful night for a swim, wouldn't you say?" Jasper's voice was low and purposeful.

A beautiful night for a swim, indeed. The moonlight shimmered off the surface of the water, slightly rippled by the breaks created with the breeze.

"I dunno why, but I feel very relaxed around you Jacob. I can be myself and that doesn't happen very often, especially at places like this."

I turned my head to look at Jasper's face as he spoke. His eyes remained unfocused as he looked out over the lake.

"There's something about your nonjudgmental look that I find myself drawn to. Everywhere else on this cursed resort, I'm constantly being judged when their approval is neither desired nor required. It's a breath of fresh air when I look into your eyes and I know that you're seeing me, just me. You don't see my family name, my school, or my money. You, single-handedly, with one look, have stripped me of my barriers that I have spent years wrapping myself in and you don't show one ounce of remorse."

"You're right. I have no remorse for looking at you the way that I do. But you see, there's only one problem. That's the only way that I know how to look at you." These were the only words that I could come up with at the moment. His somber mood was throwing me off kilter.

Jasper let out a small snort as he turned his head to face mine. "Well, I'm not asking you to stop, but the least you could do would be to allow me some underwear when you look at me in public. Not everyone wants to see me naked, and I'm not sure I want everyone seeing me naked."

This time, it was my turn to scoff.

"Now, my dear Jacob, I do believe you know your part of the deal?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of the lewd actions that you're coercing me to perform." My mood lightened as I felt the seriousness of his tone dissipate.

"Well good, I'm glad that we're on the same page then."

Slowly I stood on the dock, relishing the small friction the skin of our bodies produced with my actions. My stomach tightened with the anticipation of what I was about to do. I took one deep breath and pulled on the elastic band of my gym shorts, allowing them to fall over my hips and down my legs. I listened as the fabric crumpled at my feet and I was now completely exposed to the elements. There wasn't much else for me to do except dive into the lake, and I wasted no time doing so. I swam out a few yards before coming up for air and looking back towards the dock, just missing Jasper's feet disappear into the water. There were only two pairs of crumpled shorts remaining on the dock. I continued to tread water as I kept a look out, watching for Jasper's reappearance. It wasn't long before I felt a movement across my legs under the water and I turned my body just in time to witness Jasper's head emerging from the lake. His golden hair was slicked back on his head and the water cascaded down his face.

Jasper was marvelous in his pallid glory and it didn't take long for his light blue eyes to find mine. His eyes held a ravenous look as he inched closer and closer to me. I retreated back towards the shore, hoping to find the bottom soon so that I could stand. I felt the fine silt of the floor of the lake and took just a few steps back to allow for a secure footing. Jasper, being a few inches shorter than I was, would still not be able to touch, but that wasn't necessary. He wrapped his legs around my waist and brought our bodies together under the water. His skin was like silk next to my own as more and more of our skin connected. My heart raced as Jasper brought his face closer to my mine and his hands reached out of the water to caress my cheek as his soft lips ghosted over mine. His warm tongue traced a faint line on my bottom lip and I parted my lips to invite him in. The citrus carried over from his scent to his taste. His hands left my face and he wrapped his arms around my neck as our kiss deepened and heated with passion. His kiss cried out for me to never let him go and I had no intentions of doing so. The rendezvous lasted until the morning birds starting singing in the trees. Jasper's lips parted from my own and he laid his head on my shoulder.

"I think we better go, before we get caught in our indiscretion." His words were laced with dejection. He didn't really want to leave and neither did I.

"I think you're right. It won't be long before I have to start on the grounds."

Jasper released his legs from around my waist and the resulting chill from the water sent a shiver over my body. His lips found mine one last time before he turned and headed towards the dock.

_Jasper's POV_

It had been a month since I had arrived at the lake resort in the middle of nowhere. This was my father's idea of roughing it, which was very different than mine because mine didn't include a service staff that expected you to tip with large bills or sleeping in full amenity cottages with twenty-four hour access to room service.

My idea of roughing it was sleeping on the beach and eating beans out of a can. Instead, we had classes and tee times and each night there was some social gathering at the lodge where the rich businessmen tried to push their over-made-up and under-dressed daughters on me. The society wives were even worse, and if I was polite to one of the girls, I was attacked by a slough of mothers dragging their daughters in tow. I did my best to not make eye contact with any of the women, openly flirting with any young man who gave the slightest twinge to my gaydar. There were few options among the guests and besides, I already knew who I wanted to spend my time with.

He had drawn my attention on my first night at the resort, as I sat on the dock chatting on BlackBerry Messenger with my best friend, Edward, trying to escape the madness. I wasn't sure how long he had been watching me, but when I noticed him, he had been doing some serious staring, basically getting lost somewhere around my waistband.

Later, when I had entered my information into his phone and got his, I expected us to chat from time to time, teasing and taunting each other. What I didn't expect was finding myself waking up first thing every morning and checking my messages, hoping that he sent something while I slept. I just wasn't _that_ guy. I was the guy the made other guys behave like that.

When I hadn't heard from him for two days after our skinny dipping rendezvous, I decided to open BlackBerry Messenger to see if he was around. His status was listed as available, but I was hesitant to say anything. Perhaps I had read too much into what we shared in those hours on the lake. He aroused things inside of me that I had never felt before and I wasn't about to allow someone who could see so deep into my soul get away that easily. Clicking the trackball, I started to enter text.

**_So, you think you can love me and leave me, huh? Just wham bam, thank you ma'am?_

I had to wait a few minutes to get a response so rather than staring at the screen, I pocketed my phone and started walking toward the lodge. After several minutes, I heard a chirp.

~_That's one thing I would never do. Sorry, work got crazy. Some dignitary is coming._

We chatted for nearly an hour, talking about what he was doing (mowing the seventeenth green) to his favorite movie and music (The Nightmare Before Christmas and Funk). Over the next several days, we chatted at least once a day, trying to find a time to get together again, but finding it difficult with his work schedule and my social schedule.

During the next week, I decided that I needed see him, hunt him down again if I had to, and spend some time with him, but every time I saw him, one of us was in the middle of something that couldn't be interrupted. He was fascinating to me, drawing me in not only with his stunning looks, but also with each and every conversation we had on our phones. Soon, our chats increased to the point where we found ourselves messaging one another throughout each day.

One afternoon, we decided to meet at the dock at five o'clock, right as he was coming off his shift and an hour before I had to be at dinner. Before I left the cottage, I looked in the mirror, trying to arrange my blond curls so it looked like I hadn't tried and made sure I wore a tight red t-shirt. He always seemed to respond the way I liked when I wore something tight and since I hadn't seen him for days, I wanted to make him happy. Nerves took over as I walked toward the shore; the last time I spend any amount of time with him, we had both stripped, in more ways than one.

When I rounded the corner, he was looking down at his phone and shaking his head. As soon as my foot hit the wooden dock, his head shot up and he met my eyes with sadness.

"What? You look like someone just told you your purebred couldn't have puppies."

He burst out laughing and asked, "Jeez, seriously? Purebred jokes?" He shook his head and clicked the trackball on his phone and began scrolling. "No, it's Sam," he said in a dejected voice. "Before I'm done for the day, he wants me to head over and help Seth with the weeding near the lodge. It will take me about an hour. I'm sorry."

"No worries," I said, feeling just as disappointed as he had looked. "How about tomorrow?" He nodded and we agreed to meet again at five, but it didn't happen. Day after day, Sam's impeccable timing interrupted us, whether it was before we even met or just as our lips were about to touch, Sam was blocking us at every turn. I was starting to think he had something against Jacob and I spending time together.

I was so frustrated with not being able to see Jacob that I tried to immerse myself in the resort activities to keep my mind off of him. Taking a sip of my mimosa, I looked around the dining room at all the money; the gold watches, the multi-carat diamonds, the haute couture clothes. _Pretension_. We were in the middle of Saturday brunch, seated at a table with a couple from New York and their tittering twin daughters Lauren and Jessica, all fake boobs and injected lips and bleached hair. Their floral dresses were so busy that it hurt my eyes to look at them, but they kept asking me questions, trying to draw me into their conversation with their twin speak and flirtation. Our parents were discussing real estate prices, bemoaning the drop in value in their various properties throughout the country. It was enough to sicken me.

"So Jasper, where do you go to school?" the twins asked at the same time, in the same tone, with the _exact_ same facial expression. _Creepy._

"I just finished my undergrad and I'll be heading to Harvard in the fall for my PhD in History. My goal is to teach at the collegiate level," I said robotically, not returning a question, but rather pulling my BlackBerry out and scanning through my messages to get these damn girls to stop flirting with me.

Looking at me with a scowl, my father glanced at my phone and then over at the twins before returning to me. It was his 'put-your-damn-phone-away-and-talk-to-these-nice-girls' look that basically meant he liked their parents and saw them as potential contacts for networking. I ignored him, looked back down at the screen and chuckled at an email.

I felt like I needed to get out of this hellhole; I could barely breathe when I was surrounded by so much pretentiousness. While I had been going to functions like this with my parents for years, I would never fit in with my parent's idea of 'good company.' I preferred the honesty and sincerity of my friends, where what they said was what they meant rather than the exact opposite like the majority of the people in the room. I preferred the company of Jacob, who was so genuine that I could feel it every time he looked at me.

BlackBerry Messenger chirped at me while I was reading my email. Hoping it was Jacob, I switched applications quickly, but was disappointed to see it was Edward sending me a photo of his girlfriend in front of the Louvre. Like I gave a shit about seeing his girlfriend in front of Pei's pyramid, again.

Finishing the last few bites on my plate, I took a final sip of coffee before pulling my linen napkin off my lap and excusing myself. "The beach is calling my name, folks. It's been nice visiting with you. I'm sure I'll see you around the resort. Good day." I stood, ignoring the glare from my father, and made my way back to our cottage.

As soon as my foot hit the first step of the porch on the quaint yellow cottage, I felt my entire facade fall away. I hated that about myself. As much as I despised my father, I was becoming like him and that terrified me. Once inside, I stripped out of my pretentious clothes, put on sunscreen, found my navy blue board shorts and an orange t-shirt. As soon as I found a towel, I was ready to head down to the water. I left my BlackBerry on my nightstand to charge.

Walking across the grass, my excitement increased with each step. He said he'd be there around noon, but would he really show or would Sam have some random task for him again? Rounding the corner, I saw him standing on the dock, bending over and giving me a wonderful view of his perfectly rounded ass that filled out his dark purple trunks, revealing the strength of his muscles. The length of his legs amazed me and I imagined them wrapped around my waist, pulling my body forcefully into his. An involuntary groan escaped my mouth at my vision, notifying Jacob to my presence.

"I see it's your turn to eye fuck me, huh?" he joked as a quick smile spread across his face. "You got away from your parents? What did you have to do, promise to go 18 holes with the ol' man later today or was it croquet?"

"Neither, I just excused myself and left," I said in a clipped tone, not really appreciating the jibe he was taking at my predicament. He knew I wasn't happy about being controlled by my parents, but I had little choice.

Jacob bit his bottom lip, nodded his head and resumed whatever activity I had interrupted. As I neared him at the end of the dock, I saw that he was putting supplies into the boat.

"Planning on going somewhere?" I asked.

"I thought we'd go out on the lake and fish. Have you even been fishing before?"

"Sure, my dad and I have gone out on the..." I stopped before I made a fool of myself. Did he really need to know about deep-sea fishing on my dad's yacht? "I haven't been out since I was a kid so I may need a few pointers, do you know a good teacher?" I smirked at him and gave him a quick wink before peeled off my shirt, dropped my towel and took a running leap off the dock, making sure to splash him.

"Come on Neptune, get in the boat. If we have to get you back to the palace for your dancing lesson, we'd better get moving."

"I'm not going to fucking dancing lessons," I said as I floated on the cool, clear water, allowing the waves to pull the remaining tension out of my muscles. "You've got me the rest of the day and into the night if you want me. I even left my phone at home so there is no way for them to contact me."

After swimming around the boat, I climbed back on the dock, dried myself off and clumsily stepped into the boat. Then I watched with amazement at how gracefully Jacob got in. Living near the lake his whole life, he seemed to be so in tune with the movement of the water, reacting to waves in such a way that when standing in the boat, he looked as if he was surfing.

Holding tightly onto the oars, he started to row and steer the boat away from the dock, taking us on a path parallel to the shore, away from the resort, the staff's quarters, past the golf course, and into a small inlet where the water was surrounded by a beautiful beach and a thick layer of trees beyond. Few people knew about this spot, he explained, partially because it was very difficult to get to by land and water, but Jacob knew how to maneuver around a craggy outcropping of rocks to get us into the calm, serene cove. I threw the anchor overboard once we were in the secluded bay and watched as it fell into the deep water, the rope uncoiling behind me for much longer than I thought it would.

As I looked around our hiding place, I couldn't help but feel like Jacob had let me in on a secret, showing me a gem that few people had seen. I tried not to get emotional about it, but a lump started to rise in my throat as I thought about how privileged I felt to have this exclusive glimpse of his land. Swallowing hard, I turned to look at him and saw pride on his face. I wondered how many outsiders he had taken here. My guess: none.

"I really like it simple, nothing too fancy; I'm a catch and release guy, is that okay with you?" Jacob asked as he handed me a bamboo fishing pole with a barbless hook attached to the line. Running my fingers along the pole, I could tell that it had been in his family for years, probably handed down from father to son so I held it with reverence, appreciating the simple fact that he was willing to share such a precious thing with me.

Opening a small box, he pulled out a worm and speared in on his hook. He held one out to me, silently asking if I wanted him to bait my hook as well, but I reached out to the cool, wet worm, expertly placing it on my hook. Jacob looked on, smiling at me when he saw that I knew what I was doing. Casting our lines, we sat, soaking in the sun and relishing in the simple silence surrounding us. Peacefully, we fished for hours, not catching a thing and not giving a damn as we watched each other, allowing a soundless conversation to emerge, learning so much more than words would have been able to tell us. Our eyes met, hands touched, and bare feet caressed warm legs. I knew he was a straightforward man, unimpressed by fanciful things, complications, relishing in solitude and uninterrupted thought. Every so often words were exchanged, information shared, thoughts expressed, but little was spoken.

The midday sun beat down on our shoulders, forcing both of us to shed our shirts as we looked like opposites sitting in the boat, dark and tanned next to blond and fairly pale, although my skin was becoming more bronze as the summer wore on. Every so often, the sounds of nature invaded my ears and I could hear cicadas emerging from their skins after their long slumber, loons lamenting the absence of their mates, and the water lapping gently at the shore. Just as I was getting lost in Mother Nature, I felt a nibble on my fishing pole and I quickly pulled it up, hooking a large sunny.

"Whoo hoo!" Jacob called, grabbing the translucent fishing line and pulling the small fish into the boat to get if off the hook and release it back into the wild. As we both leaned over the edge of the boat to watch the multicolored fish swim away, our naked shoulders touched and I felt myself start to get hard just feeling his smooth skin and body heat on mine. Sitting back on my seat, I reached for him, touching his strong cheekbone and he responded by leaning toward me, allowing me to softly brush my lips against his. The softness of his skin forced my mouth open, my tongue needing to taste him and he met my mouth with languorous kisses, our fishing poles gladly forgotten on the bottom of the boat.

He dropped down to his knees in front of me, pulling me to his chest, his thumbs ghosting over the sensitive skin of my nipples, pebbling the flesh before he pushed me back and his body moved against me in an irregular rhythm, confusing me. Pulling away, I saw his eyes focused behind me and when I turned, I saw that he was pulling the anchor back into the boat, hand over hand, his arms on each side of my waist.

"I can move, you know. All you have to do is ask. And where are you taking me now? I thought we were going to be fishing all day," I smirked as he set the anchor behind me and took his previous seat.

As he started rowing the boat toward the shore, he admitted, "Something just made me change my mind. Besides, the fish aren't really biting here, but we might have better luck at scoring on shore." A smile spread across his face as he continued to row. The boat scraped over the sandy shore and we jumped out, grabbing our towels and spreading them out on the beach before we both reclined on our sides and faced each other.

"Tell me about your world, Jasper," he requested softly. "What do you want out of life if you can already have anything?" I could tell it was a genuine question; he wasn't being cocky or rude.

I lay back on my towel, looking up at the white clouds that seemed to pass by swiftly, pulling my hands up behind my head. "I really want simplicity, Jacob. I want to wake up in the morning, have my cup of coffee, and then do things honestly. I want to help people and make their lives richer and I want someone to come home to at the end of my day; someone I can cook for and give a back rub to and fall asleep next to. That's all I really want," I said sadly. "What about you?"

"I guess a lot of those same things. I want to make my family proud and give back to my people. I merely want to love and to be loved." Turning my head at his last words, I got lost in his eyes, feeling like I could drown in them, be pulled under and never even try to shout for rescue, because I would be falling into something so right and so pure that I would give up everything that I had to have him.

Leaning on a bent elbow, I reached to the back of his neck and pulled the leather thong that held his silky black hair, releasing it and watching as his hair fell around his shoulders. I pushed back a few black strands that had fallen forward, obscuring his masculine features as my thumb traced his dark eyebrows, his angular cheekbones and his strong jaw before my fingers were buried in his silky hair.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" I asked and he shook his head. "You are regal and wild and every line of your face draws me to your lips. I have such a hard time resisting you."

"Then don't," he barely whispered.

And I didn't.

Pushing him forcefully onto his back, I laid my body on top of his, feeling his excitement next to my own, and I couldn't help but roll my hips into him as I crushed my lips to his, forcing a lone groan to escape his full mouth. He reached behind me, grabbing my ass through the thin material of my swimsuit and pulling me firmly into him. This time it was my turn to let a wanton noise leave my chest as he continued to draw me firmly to him, finding a steady rhythm that I readily joined in on. Before long, I had to pull my mouth from his, my breathing rough and labored, as I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling his hot breath rushing past my ear, my hips moving faster against his body.

"Fuck," I cried, trying to pull away from him but he easily held me steady with his strength. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze and found him looking at me with such intensity, such passion that I wondered if he was feeling the same things as me.

"Please. Don't. Go," he managed to say between breaths as our bodies rocked against each other, bringing us pleasure but so much more. I felt like we were communicating with our actions, the things we were afraid to say or didn't know how to say.

Spreading his legs, he made more room for me, allowing me to place my knees between his legs so I could increase the pressure of my thrusting. His head was thrown back, revealing the long column of his neck and my lips couldn't resist the pulse point, kissing and licking him as he moaned at the sensations of our bodies rubbing against each other.

As curses and names fell from our kiss-swollen lips, our bodies fell over the edge, releasing us from the pleasant torture of holding back and allowing us to fall hard and fast as we shuddered against each other, riding our mutual release out like the waves hitting the shore at our feet. We held each other impossibly close, trying to make the feeling last every second that it could before I finally pulled away, spent, kissing his mouth one last time before rolling onto my back. His fingers found mine, curling and grasping as we drifted into quiet repose under the afternoon sun.

That night I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about holding Jacob in my arms. Just as I rolled over to fall asleep, BlackBerry Messenger chirped. It was him.

~_I can't stop thinking about you._

**_Me either. All I see is your eyes._

God. How much did I want to tell him? Did I really want him to know that I hadn't felt this way about anyone before? Should I tell him, knowing that I would be leaving, possibly never seeing him again?

~_I can still feel the heat of your skin on mine._

_**I can still taste your lips on my tongue._

How far should this go? Should I tell him he was all I thought about or how badly I wanted him to return my feelings?

_~Sleep well._

_**With images of you, how could I not?_

I set my phone on the bedside table and fell asleep dreaming of raven hair, obsidian eyes, and russet skin hovering above my body, possessing every part of my soul.

Over the next several days, I only saw Jacob from a distance mowing the greens, his ebony hair and mirrored sunglasses catching my eye as I golfed with my father. He would stop the mower, pull his lenses down, and peer over them to give me a quick wink before he took off again. The only other contact we had was through BlackBerry Messenger and it was through our messages that we began sharing information that would normally be shared on dates and in the afterglow of sex. Nothing was off limits anymore and we made sure to chat several times a day. I was falling and I was falling hard.

It was through BlackBerry Messenger that I found out that he had to leave immediately for a tribal responsibility and would be gone for a week, returning the night before I had to leave the resort. He would be away from cell phone towers, so even our messages would cease. To say that I was disappointed was an understatement. It felt like a hole had been ripped through me, knowing that I would only have one more night with Jacob.

I walked around a shell of a man while he was absent from the resort. My parents wanted to know what was wrong, but I didn't have any desire to talk to them about it, spending most of my time in the spots Jacob and I had visited. I would sit with my feet hanging off the dock, mesmerized by the ripples created around my ankles and remembering how much deeper his long legs were submerged when we sat together. Walking along the shore, feeling the rocks and sand beneath my feet, I was reminded of the hours I was in the water, with nothing supporting me but Jacob's arms and his gentle caresses that seemed to hold so much more than my weight. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get back to the cove where we fished, hoping to lie on Jacob's perfect beach, but no matter how I tried, I couldn't get past the rocks and I nearly capsized my small boat. Every time I waded into the lake, the cool water washed across my sun-warmed skin and my outlook would change. It was here, in the water, that I felt calm and serene because I felt his presence all around me; it was here that I sensed his subtle strength.

When I woke up the morning that he was to return, I had a hard time withholding my excitement, and my obvious change in attitude was noticed by my parents, who attributed it to our leaving in the morning. I chose not to let them think any differently. Let them think that getting to Harvard was my reason for joy. I fidgeted through meals, continuously scanned the grounds as we golfed, and pulled my phone out to check for messages every few minutes. By the time we headed to the evening's social at the lodge, I didn't even bother putting my phone in my pocket, instead setting it on the table and staring at the indicator, waiting for it to light up. I felt like an addict, unable and unwilling to resist.

This was another one of those nights where the girls lined up to dance with me and since the season was ending, it seemed that every single, young woman was vying for my attention, despite the fact that I didn't even bother to give them a glance.

Making my way to the bar to escape the prying eyes, I ordered a glass of white wine, sipping it to ease my tension. It would be any minute now, or so he had said earlier in the day and my ear seemed to cut out all noise, focusing on the expected chirp from my phone. The wine wasn't helping, even after the third glass, and with each passing second I felt the electric buzz of anxiety build in me. I needed to get out.

Slipping my phone in my pocket, I turned to leave the lodge, ready to start _my night_ but I ran into a very large woman with a slip of a girl on her arm. The girl couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds and her mother forced us out on the dance floor, pushing us into the middle so we were compelled to dance.

"Hi," I said uncomfortably, looking down at the girl who not only looked terrified but embarrassed that her mother had forced her to dance with me. Smiling, I said, "I'm Jasper. What's your name?"

"Alice. I'm sorry about this. You know how these things are...we may as well have arranged marriages the way that us trust fund babies are treated, don't you think?" she asked, gradually loosening up as she talked.

"It seems that way," I grinned, desperate for the song to be over so that I could escort her back to her table and leave the lodge.

We continued to dance and talk to the soft jazz that filled the room and before long I realized that I was relaxing and having a good time talking to Alice, continuing to dance through the rest of the song. When I saw that a line _had_ actually formed next to the dance floor, with women waiting to dance with me, I couldn't withhold the frustrated objection that left me as I looked at the girls who were hoping for a moment of my time. Alice took in the entire scene, her eyes scanning but lingering longer on my face than on all the lined up ladies before she finally looked me straight in the eyes and asked, "You're gay, right?" I nodded minutely, my BlackBerry chirping at that same moment and I quickly pulled it out to see that Jacob was back and would be up to the lodge to see me in about fifteen minutes. My breath caught in my chest and I swallowed thickly, not sure I could wait. Alice looked at my reaction to the message and said, "That's your boy? And you have no desire to be here, do you?"

"He's been gone for a week and this is my last..." I didn't finish because of the lump in my throat. I didn't need to because she knew exactly what I needed. Alice pulled me by the hand, bypassing the line of putout women and led me to the front of the lodge, leading me down the stairs, and saying good night to me as I sprinted across the manicured lawn toward the setting sun.

I ran faster than I had in years, trying to get away from everything that those people in silk and georgette represented; money, greed, selfishness, bigotry, and fakery. All I wanted was to be in his arms, to hold him close and smell his earthy scent that reminded me of freshly cut grass, earth, and pine. There was no longer any consideration for what my parents expected, I just wanted to find him, kiss him and show him how much I needed him.

Finding a narrow dirt trail, I wove between branches, avoiding the dangerous tree roots that crossed the path and ran in the direction that I knew he lived. I didn't really know where I was going, but anywhere away from the aristocracy and toward Jacob was in the right direction. I couldn't wait for him any longer. Fifteen minutes was too long. The burning in my chest was incapacitating so I had to stop and rest momentarily, bending my body over, my hands resting on my knees while I tried to catch my breath, frustration filling me because I had to stop. When I finally stood up and continued to run further into the woods, I felt how hot and sweaty I was. Peeling off my jacket, I hung it on a tree branch in a small clearing, not caring if I ever retrieved it again. My shirt was even too warm so I pulled that off and stood in the middle of the trees in my thin tank and dark jeans. Several hundred feet in front of me I saw flickering on the leaves, wondering what it was, and made my way toward the light.

As the trees thinned and opened up, I saw that the trail lead to the lake and a beach where a huge bonfire had been lit. The flames were surrounded by many people, all with the same jet-black hair as Jacob's that fell in glistening sheets around their shoulders. _Was he here?_ My eyes scanned the faces that I could see and I quickly saw the obsidian pools that drew me in my first day here. His eyes were focused on the flames, his bare feet settled in the fine sand and his hands folded in front of his knees while he listened to a man tell a story about the wolves in the forest.

I stood stock still, not sure if I should be there, but unable to walk away. I shifted my weight and brushed against some dead wood on a tree and the branch cracked in the quiet of the night. Jacob's eyes snapped to mine while everyone else kept their attention either on the fire or the storyteller. He silently stood, walking around the people and greeted me with a smile that seemed to light a fire inside of my chest.

I couldn't help myself when I threw my arms around his shoulders, pulling him tightly to me, not caring that we had drawn the attention of everyone around the fire. I sobbed silently into his shoulder, before he pulled back, looking into my eyes and wiping my tear stained cheeks.

"I couldn't wait, Jacob. I had to be with you. Knowing that you were here and I wasn't with you was too much," I admitted.

"Why don't you come and meet some of my friends," he turned and tugged my hand, continuing to hold it as we walked around the fire. Following him, I tried to put on my game face, but so desperately wanted to be alone with him that I failed miserably, finally stripped of all facades.

Before we reached the spot he had just vacated, I pulled him into the dark shadows and whispered, "I really don't want to meet them right now, Jacob. I just want to be alone with you...please," I begged and he heard the desperation in my voice and must have seen it in my eyes because he told me he'd be right back.

I heard his soft, low voice as he walked up to a short man with shiny, black hair and knelt in the sand to talk to him. "Seth, I'm going to go. Jasper's here and we're going to go down the beach." Another man leaned into the duo and said something so quietly that I couldn't hear. "Just keep Sam and Emily from going down there, okay? I'll see you guys in the morning." He turned to face me and the smile that was on his face eased the desperation I had been feeling all day.

When he returned to my side, he reached for my hand and walked me toward the shore, where I kicked off my shoes. We walked with our feet in the cool water, traveling along the shore until we came to a spot that Jacob must have prepared earlier. There was wood piled, ready to be lit, a small tent with sleeping bags, and soft music playing from inside. He knelt down to light the fire and we retreated into the tent, laying down on the soft surface.

His kisses were hotter than the fire at our feet, filling the hole his absence had created. Our passion led us, encouraging us to touch and feel and love in a way we hadn't yet, completing us. Just as we came together, Jacob called out my name, telling me he loved me. I held back, unable to let him know, unable to say it, afraid it would hurt too much when I left if I admitted it out loud. He fell asleep in my arms, his breathing slowing and finally soft snoring sounds told me of his peaceful slumber and I couldn't hold back any longer.

"I love you Jacob," I whispered into the night.

I barely slept, needing to spend every last moment taking him in, memorizing his face, breathing in his scent, and feeling his skin.

When the sun, rising over the lake, woke me in the morning, I regrettably pulled my body away from his before I placed a tender kiss on his temple.

"I will love you for the rest of my life."

And I left, walking to my cottage along the shore, keeping my feet in Jacob's lake for as long as I could.

_Jacob POV_

A loud crack of thunder woke me from my peaceful torpor from within the sleeping bag. Immediately, I felt something was amiss. It was Jasper. He wasn't here and my heart convulsed. After what we had shared last night, he could have at least hung around to say "Good Morning," "Had a good time," or at the very least, "Thanks." I was left with nothing but an empty tent. Another boom of thunder sounded and large drops of rain began to harass the small tent. I released the entry flap from its confinement and watched as the heavy showers washed away the footprints that had been in the sand. After finding my pants pushed into a small corner in the tent, I fished my BlackBerry out of the pocket.

_~Why did you leave?_

As I watched the symbol change to a D, signaling the successful delivery of the message, I stared out into the rain once again as the memory of my ill-fated first kiss knocked on the door to my heart. I wrapped my arms around my knees, willing my heart to be strong. I felt the vibration from my phone and quickly read the message.

_**I had to. It hurt too much to say goodbye._

_~What do you mean, say goodbye? Where are you going?_

As I hit the return key to send the message, my mind and heart were already putting the pieces together. My heart trembled, threatening to break as I held on to the last thread of hope that I was wrong in my musings about what was happening. My phone vibrated once more.

_**I'm so sorry, Jacob. Last night was my family's last night at the lodge. I didn't know how to tell you._

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I read his last message.

_~How much longer before you actually leave?_

I threw my phone down and tried unsuccessfully to put my pants on. My limbs just weren't cooperating with me and there wasn't enough room for me to stand comfortably. I struggled with the article of clothing some more, my frustration mounting. Finally, the pants bested me and I fell with an exasperated sigh to the hard tent floor and let the pent-up sobs break free. As I lay tangled in the sleeping bag and pants, tears streamed freely down my face. The memory of my first kiss had gained entry to my heart and was wrecking havoc. The red indicator light on my BlackBerry flashed and I scrambled to read the message.

_**Minutes, they're packing the car now._

An enraged wail erupted from my chest as my heart shattered. I stood full force in the tent, demolishing it in the process. I snapped the closure of my jeans and tucked my phone in my pocket. There was no way I was letting him leave without me seeing him. I ran in a full sprint towards the lodge. If the bags were being put into his car, I knew exactly where he would be. The jutting branches of the trees whipped my face as I barreled through the woods, making my own path to Jasper. I came into a small clearing and there was a sport jacket and button up shirt hanging in the branches. The familiar essence of citrus and man rendered me immobile. Pieces of my heart trembled in my chest as my memory proved to me that these were his. He had been missing these articles from his outfit. I snatched them from the branches and continued through the woods. The lodge wasn't far now and I pushed my muscles for all they were worth, hoping that I would be in time.

The trees thinned and eventually opened up to the grounds surrounding the lodge. Raindrops stung my face as I sprinted across the grounds to where I knew Jasper and his family would be waiting with the bellhops. The back of the black Mercedes came into view and I stopped as I watched the bell hop close the trunk and Jasper prepared to get into the back seat. My tears mixed with the rain washing over my face and I found myself unable to proceed any closer. The memory of my first kiss mirrored my situation now and I had the strange feeling of déjà vu. Jasper turned in my direction and our eyes locked for the briefest of moments. A tear welled in the corner of his eye as we continued to gaze at another. I brought his jacket and shirt up to my face, masking my other senses with the citrus that lingered in the clothing.

Jasper broke eye contact and launched himself into the back seat of the car. The brake lights brightened and then dimmed as the car pulled away from the bellhop, circling to the exit. I watched as Jasper's dad turned out of the parking lot and headed for the main road. The feeling of déjà vu passed as the back of the car rolled out of sight and I fell to my knees in the grass.

I buried my face in Jasper's jacket and wept as thunder roared in the skies above and wave after wave of rain washed over me, rinsing away something I wanted to cling to me forever.

* * *

**A/N:** Great thanks to On The Turning Away for helping us beta this. We hope you enjoyed it. Yes, we know it's sad, but unlike the OneShot, this is going to continue on. So dry your tears and review.

While you are waiting for us to update, head on over to our profiles and read our stories elusiV and Sketchbook Revelations. Thanks for the love.


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